Symrise plays a major role in the communities it operates in. We not only deliver thousands of products for everyday use, we provide meaningful, rewarding work to our employees

We feel connected to both our employees and the people we interact with at every stage in our value chain – from our suppliers to the communities we operate in.

We achieve a particularly high impact on:
Decent work and economic growth
Responsible consumption and production
Climate action
Life below water
Life on land
Partnerships for the goals
Managing our social impact

Managing our
social impact


Our approach to sustainability focuses equally on our environmental impact and on caring for all the people within our company and the communities where we act.

The backbone of our success is built on employees and suppliers who are both highly-skilled and well-motivated. We’re constantly striving to offer the best possible working conditions for our people, while also accepting the social responsibility we bear beyond our own company.

"Establishing responsible and transparent traceable supply chains is an important basis for our business. In the process, we focus on our human rights obligations to our employees and partners worldwide – in line with the global sustainability objectives SDG 8, humane work and economic growth – in addition to our resource-efficient and resource-friendly approach to nature. Beyond our voluntary commitment, we are actively supporting a legal basis in the form of a supply chain act and welcome recent policy developments on the subject."
Dr. Helmut Frieden, Corporate Sustainability

Working together for human rights

Symrise is involved in the Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains (INA) and in July 2020 issued a joint statement in favor of the German government drafting a national supply chain act based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (NAP). In the alliance, a total of 33 companies and organizations are campaigning for binding human rights due diligence requirements for companies along their supply chains – and thus for greater legal certainty and a level playing field that goes beyond voluntary initiatives.

Sustainability along the value chain – focus on human rights

Developing and advancing our employees


To provide excellence and opportunities for our employees, we know we must also give them a voice. 5,400 employees provided feedback to us in our Symrise Employee Engagement Survey (with a participation rate of 80 % in the countries involved).

The positive feedback was overwhelming: 90 % are very satisfied or at least satisfied in their jobs, while 95 % say they would accept their job again without hesitation.

While we’re proud of our achievements in this respect, we know that there are always improvements to be made. By being open, proactive and listening to our people, we’re able to make positive change wherever it’s needed. We’re taking action not only for our current employees, but for the future talents of Symrise who will ensure our continued success.

Promoting diversity and equality

Promoting diversity
and equality


We’re a globally minded company that believes diverse perspectives lead to innovative solutions.

We source, produce, manufacture and market our products all over the world, and our expansive, international operations are reflected in the people we employ. We thrive on the different ethnic, cultural, religious, gender and age backgrounds of our employees – we want our products to be for all people, created by a diverse workforce.

With more than 12,000 employees serving roughly 160 countries, doing business with other companies in other countries, with different cultures and customs, it’s vital that we have a common basis from which to work. This is where our Code of Conduct comes in.

View our Code of Conduct

We have also signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles. With this move, we want to send a clear signal to our global organization that we stand for gender equality in our workplace.

Meaningful health
and safety measures


Like all companies, we’re faced with numerous challenges when it comes to ensuring the health and safety of all our employees.

We’re convinced that a zero-accident culture is achievable with an approach that is proactive rather than simply reactive:

  • A focus on the cause of injuries rather than just the number
  • Clear strategies to identify and correct unsafe conditions/actions
  • A system that doesn’t encourage the non-reporting of injuries

Symrise has launched the comprehensive “Drive to 100 % Safety” campaign in Holzminden as a pilot project of subsidiary TESIUM. The campaign is designed to present employees with an emotional depiction of the importance of observing safety regulations and acting thoughtfully.

Contact

Symrise Friedrich-Wilhelm Micus

Friedrich-Wilhelm Micus

Director Corporate Communications

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